We recently had the pleasure of photographing Haley & Elie’s destination wedding at the fabulous Breakers hotel in Palm Beach. Albert and Liz worked together at this wedding, capturing many great shots of the beautiful bride and groom and also of the magnificent décor created by the incomparable Breakers Design Studio. Trina Chaney-Hoo of The Planning Company, along with her team, coordinated every detail of this wedding perfectly in conjunction with Sascha LaGreca of The Breakers

Our video team was also on hand to capture this gorgeous event. Haley and Elie were great to work with and we roamed around as much of this magnificent venue as we could. There is no lack of places to shoot beautiful photos at The Breakers – the outdoor areas offer a wide variety of green areas, impeccable flowers, and of course the sparkling Palm Beach ocean.

We love photographing weddings at The Breakers – and many of them are destination weddings. So many people visit the incomparable Breakers hotel and just HAVE to have their weddings there. It is truly a magical place – there’s really no place else like it anywhere. It exudes class, elegance and unparalleled service. Not to mention incredible cuisine, created by their world class chefs. Attention to detail is paid to every aspect of each event here and it shows! Haley and Elie had a smaller wedding, but everything about it was first class – the floral arrangements were gorgeous and the ceremony set-up was stunning.

As South Florida wedding photographers, myself, Albert and Liz enjoy working all around the area. The Breakers, however, remains a special location to us. Every time we work there we find new and incredible areas to photograph brides and grooms. The more time we have with them, the better! We love putting our creative juices to work and shooting in a place like The Breakers allows us to do just that. When brides and grooms call us and are planning a South Florida destination wedding and ask our advice, The Breakers immediately comes to mind. The venue is so vast and has so many different sized rooms, it can pretty much handle any size wedding – from 20 people to 300 people – no problem.

We would like to thank Trina Chaney-Hoo of The Planning Company and Sascha LaGreca as well as Haley and Elie for allowing us to be a part of such a fun and beautiful wedding!

Renata said she had visited the Bahamas about 10 years ago and totally fell in love with it. It’s natural beauty, warm weather and sparkling ocean waters make Paradise Island an easy place to never want to leave! Just off the coast of New Providence Island, Paradise Island is truly a paradise – with its own bevy of hotels and a gorgeous strip of beach. Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas is accessible either via bridge or boat making traveling to and from Paradise Island a relative breeze from the mainland.

Planning a December destination wedding in Paradise Island must have been a natural idea for Renata and Miro who live in Toronto, where the weather is quite cold at that time of year. So, they chose to do a sea and sand themed wedding – and they chose the perfect place, as I am sure their guests would agree! Who wouldn’t want to go to the Bahamas for a wedding? Many of their guests came from around the world, and from some areas that are also very cold at this time of year. It was a guest list from some distant corners of the world including Spain, Germany, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Moscow and New York City. To reflect the diversity of the guests, the wedding was hosted in 2 languages by a close friend of the couple.

Renata and Miro chose the Riu Palace for their destination wedding celebration. This incredible all inclusive resort was enjoyed by their guests during their time in paradise. With a magnificent buffet restaurant as well as several themed restaurants, there is no lack of options as far as meal options go. The resorts beautiful pool and beach area speak for themselves. This was obviously a fabulous choice for a destination wedding location.

Albert enjoyed roaming the amazing grounds of this resort with Renata and Miro, capturing many great shots along the way. The bride was wearing a dress by Angelina Faccenda and shoes by Prada. She was wonderfully complimented by her groom in a Canalli suit.

It is always inspirational to shoot at a new and different location and on Paradise Island there are just endless places to create gorgeous photos. Aside from all the Riu Palace has to offer, there is the incomparable and world famous Atlantis, modeled after the “lost city of Atlantis.” This enormous hotel complex offers a world class water park as well as a truly incredible aquarium and an opulent casino.

If ever in Paradise Island town for a destination wedding, you should go to the main city of Nassau to explore the rich history the Bahamas has to offer. There are museums, botanical gardens and ruins to see. Not to mention, more beautiful beaches! Try local cuisine, such as conch chowder, a local favorite.

We are thrilled to present these photos from Renata and Miro’s sunny and sandy destination wedding in Paradise Island, Bahamas!

Ilene & Moises’s Miami Wedding at the Westin ColonnadePosted on January 16, 2013

I recently had a wonderful time photographing Ilene and Moises’s traditional Jewish wedding at the Westin Colonnade in Miami. This couple has been terrific to work with – we had great fun from their engagement shoot all the way through their wedding day! Working with them to coordinate their wedding to perfection was Joni Scalzo of Your Special Day by Joni.

Ilene and Moises’s reception was in the highly distinctive Rotunda room of the Westin Colonnade. There is literally no other room like this anywhere in South Florida. If you are having a South Florida wedding and are looking for someplace different – not just your average ballroom, the Westin Colonnade in the Coral Gables section of Miami offers this very special round room that is really quite spectacular. It was rendered even more spectacular featuring lovely décor by Daniel Events, who provided all the floral designing for this wedding. Furthermore, Leyani Linens and Draping added an additional special effect to the already magnificent Rotunda room.

The party was fabulous, with Junior’s Band playing the night away. Guests were on their feet, dancing to their heart’s content! Ilene looked radiant in a Vera Wang dress, her make-up created by Fernando Fandino and her hair by Carolina. Both Ilene and Moises were enthusiastic subjects and we were able to roam through the hotel and get many great shots.

The Westin Colonnade is a great place for a Miami wedding. Located in the heart of the Coral Gables section of Miami, the hotel offers many amenities and it has been described as “neoclassical” in design and the Rotunda room “historic.” It is definitely one of the more unique hotels in the area. The only other two major hotels in Coral Gables are The Biltmore and the Hyatt Regency – both of which are completely different than the Westin Colonnade. The actual neighborhood of Coral Gables offers so much – great shopping and restaurants abound and it’s just a really pretty area of the city.

As a South Florida wedding photographer, I do enjoy working in many different venues and the Westin Colonnade is always a pleasure to work at. The interesting architecture appeals to my creative side and my imagination runs wild with cool ideas for shots. There is a plethora of venues all over the Miami area, so it’s nice to work in as many different ones as I can.

A huge thank you to Ilene and Moises for the opportunity to photograph their wedding and also a thank you to Joni for organizing things so brilliantly!! Always a pleasure!

We all know that traditional wedding shots are a must-have on your wedding day. How about adding some fun in your wedding album by trying a few creative ideas? On your wedding day, your photographer has a lot of things in mind and even more moments to capture. One of the things that your Florida wedding photographer must not forget is to photograph your wedding rings. Getting creative with the shot is crucial because the ring symbolizes your love and union. It is a must to be featured in your wedding album. Here are some of our favorite wedding ring shots:

An experienced Florida wedding photographer must not only take a simple picture of your rings, but also portray them in a rather artsy way that describes you as a couple. Using props seen at the pre-wedding or reception is also a good way to take creative ring pictures. Using a little bit of imagination helps! Planning ahead and telling the photographer what you want and how you want it done can give photographers ideas on how to execute what you have in mind. This is why a discussion before the wedding is always important. If you hire the right Florida wedding photographer, he/she will use their imagination and know-how to produce unique photos throughout your wedding day – but will also know just how to photograph your rings in the most interesting and appealing way possible. Often, wedding décor is used as a pleasant backdrop for ring shots – this can mean anything from the flowers, cake, invitation or any other distinct facet of the wedding itself.

I love coming up with different ring shots if possible at each and every wedding I photograph. I find that brides and grooms actually look forward to seeing what I come up with! This is one of the most gratifying aspects of my profession as a Florida wedding photographer. Deciding where and how to shoot the rings is a challenge I really enjoy. Sometimes what I come up even surprises me!

The bottom line is that you should enjoy your wedding day without having to worry about a single thing by hiring a professional Florida wedding photographer – especially one who knows how to take killer ring shots!